A short story writing competition being backed by celebrity couple Richard and Judy has been launched to coincide with the Polperro Festival. The theme for this year's festival, which runs from Saturday, June 14, to Sunday, June 22, is 'Love Polperro' and to tie in with this, the short stories must all be based on the theme of 'Love'. Richard and Judy will be choosing the winning entries from a short-list drawn up by a judging panel and have also arranged to publish the winners' stories on their Richard and Judy Book Club website. There are plans to include all the entries in an ebook, with all proceeds from sales going to the Polperro Festival. The competition will be run in three categories – adults, secondary school and primary school pupils, all of whom must be currently unpublished. Adults are asked to contribute stories with a maximum of 2,000 words, the secondary pupils up to 1,500 words and the primary pupils up to 1,000 words. Entry for adults will be £5, for secondary pupils £3 and for primary pupils £2. The entry fee can be paid online through the Polperro Festival website, where there are also copies of the entry form that can be downloaded or completed online at http://www.polperrofestival.co.uk/short">www.polperrofestival.co.uk/short story.html. Entry forms are also available at Polperro Post Office. The closing date for entries is May 31, 2014. Jude Mullarkey, Polperro Festival chairman, said she was hoping to see a good number of entries for the competition, given the backing being offered by Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. 'This could be a wonderful opportunity for adults and school children alike to get some valuable recognition for their writing,' she said. 'Who knows, it could be a stepping stone to a great literary future and I know Richard and Judy are really excited about seeing the talent we hope to unearth.' All contributed stories can be emailed to chair@polperrofesti val.co.uk making sure you add your name, address, email and phone number and, in the case of youngsters, the name of your school. Hard copy entries can also be accepted at Polperro Post Office, Fore Street, Polperro, Cornwall PL13 2QR. For more information about the Polperro Festival visit website http://www.polperrofestival">www.polperrofestival. co.uk